kate mellina / dave christopher

Home for the Holidays – With 2 Dozen Neighbors (& More!)

Last night was East Passyunk Avenue’s annual tree-lighting ceremony, and over two dozen South Philadelphia neighbors, shop owners and dogs smiled down from our windows in what has become our annual holiday salute to the neighborhood.

So, if you’re dining or playing near the restaurant-packed “Singing Fountain” between now and New Year’s Day, check out our well-decked windows at East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street….

We’ll keep the lights on for you ’til 2 a.m. each night.

DECK THE WALLS

As you may know, it all started when we sat at our third-floor kitchen window, waving to neighbors who couldn’t see us.

“Maybe we should put life-sized photos of ourselves in the windows to let people know we’re here,” Kate joked. “Then we wouldn’t feel like we’re spying on them.”

Within seconds, it morphed into something better.

“Wow – what if we took photos of the neighbors and put them in the windows, too? We could do it for the holidays!”

Greetings from East Passyunk Avenue

And so, 15 months after moving to South Philadelphia, we found ourselves explaining to people we barely knew why we wanted to take their photos.

Fortunately, South Philadelphians have a sense of humor – even if they did roll their eyes after we left.

That first year, we signed up 26 neighbors, 4 dogs and a baby. The baby has moved on, but – this being Passyunk Avenue – our dog population has grown.

Lucia, Barney (twice), Maizy, Milli, Bella and Amelie show off some favorite humans.

It was only then that we realized we’d have to wash our 27 windows….and light them at night….and put timers on the lights….and find an affordable way to print the photos. (Tip: The large plastic lawn signs at Staples are perfect, but wait for a sale.)

Dave shows off his best side while lifting Fernando and Barney into a window.

And after worrying that it’d be a total bust, we wound up on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Christmas eve and a family tradition was born.

THE HOLIDAY TOUR STARTS HERE!

So, if you’re anywhere near South Philadelphia this season, give us a visit – and don’t miss these three truly fabulous displays:

And leave time to explore the whole area between Oregon, Moyamensing, 16th & 18th Streets, where you’ll literally find hundreds of homes and front windows festooned for the holidays, each grander than the last.

Happy holidays and we’ll see you in February, with a great new Dumpster Diver house and studio tour!